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Byline: BOB GRITZINGER
If you're building up your bank account for an electric vehicle, add Chrysler's EVs to your short list of potential products. And in particular, look closely at the Dodge EV, the Lotus Europa-based, all-electric two-seat sports car that appears to have the greatest chance of making production sooner than later.
The plug-in Dodge EV, powered by a 26-kilowatt-per-hour lithium-ion battery pack sending voltage to a 200-kW (268-hp, 480-lb-ft) electric motor driving the rear wheels, can run 150 to 200 miles on a charge, Chrysler engineers say.
Built on a thinly restyled Europa, Chrysler says it hopes to further develop its relationship with Lotus to put the Dodge EV into production, first in the United States, then in Europe. If the car can undercut the $100,000-plus Tesla on price, it could be the electric equivalent of the Dodge Viper.
Here's our guess: If Chrysler can't meet its self-imposed late-2010 date to get its series-hybrid gasoline-electric Town & Country minivan or Jeep Wrangler ready for market (see sidebar), its ace in the hole is the Dodge EV. Based on a fully developed lightweight aluminum chassis from Lotus, the prototype seemed nearly ready for production when we ...
Source: HighBeam Research, NO HEMI HERE; Chrysler touts hot Dodge EV.(NEWS)